NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Wide receiver Calvin Ridley is signing a four-year, $92 million contract, including $50 million guaranteed, with the Tennessee Titans, agents David Mulugheta and Reza Hesam told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Wednesday.
Ridley joins DeAndre Hopkins and Treylon Burks as second-year quarterback Will Levis' top receivers.
Tennessee also agreed to a one-year contract with former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph, a source confirmed to ESPN. Rudolph's deal is worth up to $3.62 million according to NFL Network, which first reported the news. Rudolph will compete with third-year quarterback Malik Willis for the backup spot behind Levis. The Titans are 1-2 in Willis' three career starts.
After returning from a season-long suspension in 2022 for violating the NFL's playing policy, Ridley caught 76 passes for 1,016 yards and eight touchdowns for the Jaguars in 2023. The season opener against the Indianapolis Colts marked 23 months between games for Ridley.
He said in January that he wanted to return to the Jaguars in 2024 because of the relationships he built and the prospect of not having to learn another offensive system, but he wasn't sure if that would happen, adding that money would be a factor. .
Ridley, 29, was suspended for the 2022 season after an investigation found he bet on NFL games over a five-day period in November 2021 while away from the Atlanta Falcons. In a series of tweets after the suspension, Ridley admitted to placing bets totaling $1,500, but said he has no gambling problems.
Despite the ban, the Jaguars acquired Ridley in a trade with the Falcons on November 1, 2022, sending a 2023 fifth-round pick and a conditional pick in 2024. Ridley was paid $11.116 million guaranteed in 2023 in the fifth year. option on the rookie contract he signed after being selected 26th overall by the Falcons in 2018.
Because the Jaguars did not sign Ridley to a new contract after the new league year began, they will send a third-round pick to the Falcons to complete the terms of the 2022 trade that brought Ridley to Jacksonville. Had they signed Ridley before the 2023 league year ended, they would have owed the Falcons a second-round pick.
Ridley was reinstated on March 6, 2023. Two days later, Ridley wrote in an article for The Players' Tribune that betting on NFL games was the “worst mistake” of his life.
He also said he played with a foot injury in 2020, was misdiagnosed with a bone bruise and ultimately underwent surgery a couple of months before training camp began in 2021. Ridley said he was mentally exhausted by dealing with the injury and that he was also dealing with anxiety related to a break-in at his home, which is why he eventually stepped away from the game on October 31, 2021, saying he needed to focus on his mental health.
Ridley had 248 receptions for 3,342 yards and 28 touchdowns in 49 games with the Falcons, including 90 receptions for 1,374 yards and nine touchdowns in 2020.
Rudolph, who was selected by the Steelers in the third round of the 2018 draft, spent most of his career in Pittsburgh as a backup before helping the Steelers reach the playoffs with three starts to finish the 2023 regular season.
In those games, the Steelers' offense averaged 27 points per game and 387 yards of offense, and Rudolph threw three touchdowns and no interceptions.
Prior to 2023, Rudolph's first extended stint as starting quarterback came in 2019, when he took over the role following Ben Roethlisberger's season-ending elbow injury. Rudolph appeared in 10 games that season, starting eight, and threw 13 touchdowns and nine interceptions. The season was tumultuous for Rudolph, who suffered a concussion in his first start, was nearly hit by Myles Garrett swinging Rudolph's helmet, was benched for UDFA rookie Devlin “Duck” Hodges, and ultimately finished the season in the injured reserve.
But when he took over Kenny Pickett's starting job in 2023, his teammates and coaches praised Rudolph's maturity and commitment to hard work.
“I think when you're going through that, from getting thrown and then going unconscious for a while and then some adversity later in the year in Cleveland and then getting benched, I think it's not fun,” Rudolph said. in December. “It's hell while you're going through this, but when you step back and breathe, and I'm 28 years old, I'm so grateful that it happened. I think everything happens for a reason, but who wants to live a life without adversity and “Just win every time? It teaches you lessons and prepares you for life after football.”
Over his career, Rudolph has thrown for 3,085 yards with 19 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in 21 games.
ESPN's Michael DiRocco and Brooke Pryor contributed to this report.
